Eternal
by Nautica7mk
Summary: It’s been 26 years since Edward and his family left Bella. An unprecedented event changed the course of her future. And the life she once had was finally coming to the surface, and the lives of two families will forever be changed. Bella/Edward & Nessie
1. Part I of III

**Title: **Eternal

**Author:** Nadia Mack

**Disclaimer: **I Own Nothing

**Rating: **T

**Summary: **It's been 26 years since Edward and his family left Bella. An unprecedented event changed the course of her future. The life she once had was finally coming to the surface for the first time in a quarter of century.

**Author's Notes: **I don't want to explain too much until the second chapter. So I'm going to let you guys decide if this first part explains enough that putting an explanation in the author's notes was necessary. By the way, just so no one freaks out, this is a Bella and Edward story so don't be afraid of the character I created. You'll know what I mean when you read it. I believe this is only going to be written in 2 or 3 parts, depending on how much material I manage within in single update. Reviews are always welcome.

* * *

Twenty-five years is a long time for a human being, but for him, not so much. Being what he was, it is hardly something he aspired to when he had been just a child growing up in a small town. Never one for ambitious dreams, perhaps that was the very reason he had become surprisingly fascinated with his second life.

Strong.

Fast.

Invincible.

There was nothing he couldn't accomplish in this life, a life filled with endless possibilities. All it took was a little effort, and it became effortless.

He had a family he'd die to protect.

He also had a beautiful daughter to share these new experiences with and a job he found very fulfilling. He wondered more than once why he kept himself idle in small town living, content to keep things constant, unable to accept change.

He supposed that the difference was much more pronounced. What he didn't achieve in his old life was now happening in his current, and he couldn't be happier.

"Grandpa?"

Charlie turned to the sound of the soft-spoken voice and his pride swelled unbelievably at the sight of his grandchild.

"Hey little one."

Her smile lit the room. "I haven't been little since I was five," she smiled, recalling her early years and the unprecedented growth spurts that occurred during that time.

"I don't care how much older you've become," he expressed with a shrug. "You'll always be my little one." Charlie held out his hand to her and she took it willingly. After a quarter of a century, he still had a hard time believing this was his grandchild.

When his granddaughter gripped his hand tightly, he simply stared. Standing a couple of inches taller than her mother, Renesmee Swan inherited her mother's eyes. His eyes. With long wavy bronze-colored hair and feminine patrician features, she had been a gift and every day that passes, she never ceases to amaze him.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked, her gaze drifting towards the city's incredible skyline that overlooked the very edge of the rooftop they stood on.

The sun was down, the moon glowed brightly and they were surrounded by the soothing presence of the stars.

"Just thinking."

Renesmee looked at him. "Anything exciting?"

Charlie chuckled. "Not this time, kiddo."

Renesmee pouted adorably. "Well, there's always tomorrow," she said in a hopeful tone.

Being a father, grandfather and a police officer, he quickly detected that something else was on her mind.

"Where's your mother?"

Renesmee's audible sigh confirmed his suspicions. "She's out hunting with Nicholas."

"Hmm." He eyed her speculatively. "Still haven't convinced her to let you and Jake go off on your own, huh?" There was no need to ask because he knew the answer, but he always enjoyed the conversations with his grandchild. It was a relationship he lacked with his own daughter when he had been human and he vowed not to miss it a second time.

"She's being overprotective and completely irrational," she complained uncharacteristically.

"She's a parent," Charlie replied emphatically. "I can relate."

"I know." Renesmee sat down on the ledge, her legs hanging off the high-rise building. "It's not as if I'm defenseless."

Charlie immediately thought of her vampritic abilities and her shape-shifting boyfriend and could not help but agree. Thank goodness his daughter couldn't read minds.

"Your mother knows you can take care of yourself. She's not questioning your abilities."

"Couldn't you plead my case?" she asked in a soft tone mixed with the pleading look in her eyes that he almost caved.

"No can do, kiddo. This is between you and your mom. Just give her time."

Renesmee's eyes widened. "That could take decades."

Charlie laughed. "She deserves more credit than that. She's let you two go off on your own for months at a time before," he reminded her.

"That's only because we still share the same continent," she rebutted. "What's so bad about Europe? If I even mention Italy, she freaks out."

Charlie stiffened instinctively. When his daughter first explained to him about a group of old and very powerful vampires called the Volturi, a chill went down his spine. He had no intention of ever being on their radar for as long as he could help it. His daughter felt the exact same way.

One of the main reasons why they kept such a low profile was to keep nomads and the Volturi from ever discovering Renesmee's existence. From the very beginning, Bella carried an unnatural amount of self-control over her basic instincts while simultaneously helping her him overcome his own. After five years isolated from humanity, they made the decision as a family to relocate in major cities.

"She has her reasons, Nessie." Charlie raised his hand to keep her from interrupting. "And she's going to tell you about it sooner than you think."

Renesmee nodded acceptingly.

Charlie stared. So mature for her age, just like her mother had been.

"Go to bed, kiddo," he insisted, noticing the tired look in her eyes. "You're about ready to drop dead."

Renesmee yawned. "Okay." She got up with a little help from her grandfather and hugged him warmly. "Goodnight, grandpa."

Charlie smiled. "Goodnight, little one."

He stood there for another two hours when his hearing picked up the familiar movements of his daughter. Charlie remained quite and contemplative, a great feat for someone who once spent most of their free time watching sports and catching fish.

Living in the city was dangerous, especially one as populated as New York. But the underground tunnel system, tall buildings and narrow alleyways was enough to give him and his family the maneuverability to avoid exposure to sunlight. It also helped that most vampires avoid cities and the crowds made it easy to blend in. They have yet to come across another vampire since he and Bella were changed.

Besides, they all outgrew small town living.

"Dad?" Bella moved in human pace beside him. "How long have you been up here?"

"Waiting for you actually."

She raised a single eyebrow, her interest piqued. "Should I be worried?"

"Depends on your definition of worry, but you probably already know where this conversation is going. It's about Nessie." When Bella did not react with an outburst, he continued, "I'm not here to tell you what to do, but I will say that she put on a convincing puppy dog look that nearly had me."

"Stupid dog's influence," she muttered beneath her breath.

Charlie held back his smile. "I know you're worried but maybe it's time she knows what's out there."

Bella felt torn at the prospect. It was inevitable that this day would come and there was no way she could justifiably tell one story and not intersect with the other. She has long passed feeling sorry for herself and was content with her life. Happy with the family she made for herself.

She knew her father hated the Cullen's at first, even after she explained everything, and it took a while in her grief to fully understand—in her own point-of-view—why they went away and left her, like they never existed.

The first few years had been undoubtedly hard, and if it hadn't been for the presence of her daughter, a constant reminder of the love lost – in time, it no longer damaged her from within. Like her father, the feelings of anger and betrayal she felt towards the Cullen's ended and in it's place, shocking apathy.

She no longer fell apart at the sound of his name, even when it was spoken in the privacy of her mind.

Renesmee deserved to know the whole truth. She has never lied to her daughter, but at the same time, she never offered up information either. She didn't lack father figures in her life, and early on in her haste to move on, she had kept that part of her Forks life silent.

Up until now.

Bella loved her daughter completely. They shared a similar relationship with her own mother, Renee, who was now in her early sixties. The only real difference between their relationships was that she was not as flighty and forgetful with her daughter as Renee had been with her.

As hesitant as she was to let her daughter go off on her own, she'd like to believe that she was patient and more than a little understanding for her taste. There aren't many mothers out there willing to allow a shape-shifting wolf around their infant daughter, let alone imprint on them.

That had been a whole other issue in and of itself, and Bella wasn't going to go there. She had already accepted it, and Jacob had held his end by becoming whatever Renesmee needed him to be. Babysitter, playmate, friend, and eventually…

_So not going to go there._

Bella looked to her father for guidance, one of many times she turned to him since embarking on their eternal journey together.

"Do you think she'll hate me for keeping it all from her."

Charlie held out his arms and embraced her, a characteristic that had been foreign to them in their old life.

"She's a smart girl, she'll understand."

Bella sighed. "Six more hours until daylight. I am so not looking forward to this discussion."

Charlie chuckled and naturally, remained silent.

"You do know she'll probably want to find them," she said, referring to the Cullens.

"Probably."

Bella looked away.

"Is that so bad, Bells?"

"Not bad." To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure what she was feeling. "Inevitable."

Her underwhelming reaction disturbed Charlie. Over the years, she had grown indifferent and apathetic towards certain subjects, most of them centering on the Cullen Family. Sometimes, she would be so matter-of-fact it'd frighten him.

"You can talk to me, you know. You don't have to be strong for everyone."

Bella looked at her father disbelievingly. "You take one psychology class and suddenly you want to be my shrink." She shook her head, indignant and amused.

"I'm serious, Isabella."

She cringed hearing the sound of her name uttered in all its parental admonishing glory. Nearing fifty human years of age and it still bothered her.

"I know, I know."

"Sometimes, I think this unnatural self-control you have is a handicap."

Bella smirked and said nothing for a good long while. When she was finally ready, she gave him her promise.

"I'll speak to Nessie before breakfast."

Charlie nodded. "Good."

* * *

Renesmee loved her mom. Even she had to admit to being guilty of idolizing her on many occasions (she still did), but there are times like these that she felt she didn't understand her mom at all.

It didn't matter how hard she looked, and she had pretty phenomenal eyesight.

When she woke up this morning, her mother was watching her in her own little nook in the corner of the room.

It's been many years since Nessie caught her mom watching her sleep. Granted, sharing the same bed with Jacob the last few years probably helped to dissuade her from the habit. It had been a delight at first, but there were moments she missed having her mom there.

Like a guardian angel watching over her.

Renesmee rubbed her eyes, her vision adjusting to the light that streamed through the window drapes. "Is this about Europe?"

Bella smiled. "More or less."

"Okay," Renesmee responded, pretending she understood.

She watched her mother take a deep breath she didn't really need and continued to stare as she got up from the chair and moved to sit beside her. Automatically, she scooted over to make room.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your father."

"What about Nicholas?"

"Not that father."

Renesmee blinked.

Her father?

_My father?_

This was the first time in Renesmee's entire existence that her mother willingly brought up the topic of her biological father.

The few times she asked, her mother would have a very sad and faraway look in her eyes, it was enough to stopped her from going any further.

She was both curious and afraid to know the truth.

Not even Jacob and Charlie talked about _him_. Whoever _him_ was.

Renesmee never lacked love in her life, and while curiosity still lingered, she did not crave for it as she supposedly should.

But this was entirely different.

Her own mother was offering information, and that blew her mind. It was a chance she wasn't going to pass up.

"Sweetheart."

She blinked again breaking out of her shocked stupor, eyes refocusing directly on her mother's. "You're really going to talk about him?" she asked just to make sure she heard her right the first time.

Bella looked at her daughter regretfully.

"No amount of apologies would suffice, but I'm sorry anyway that it's taken me this long to even bring him up."

"Was he…" Renesmee gulped. "Bad?"

Bella's eyes widened. "No!" She shook her head furiously. "Of course not!"

To say that Renesmee was surprised by her mother's reaction would be an understatement.

"Then why bring him up now? After so many years."

Bella sighed. "This would've been so much easier to explain if I had your gift." She moved closer to her daughter, brushing her fingers against Renesmee's soft porcelain skin. "His name is Edward."

Renesmee inhaled deeply, committing her father's name to memory. "Edward." She repeated the name with fascination.

A small smile tugged at Bella's lips. "His human name was Edward Anthony Masen. He was born and raised in Chicago until 1918."

Renesmee followed her mother's words closely. "Is that when he became a vampire?"

Bella nodded. "He was seventeen dying of the Spanish Influenza. His sire, Carlisle Cullen, became his surrogate father."

She continued to share more information about the kind of man, Edward Cullen was. Facts mostly. Likes and dislikes. Apparently, father and daughter had music in common.

While Renesmee was taking this all in, she couldn't help but notice her mother's lack of emotional involvement when she talked about him.

She interrupted her just as she was about to describe the rest of the Cullens.

"Mom."

"What's wrong?" Bella asked. "Am I telling you too much? Do you need some time before we continue?

Renesmee shook her head. "No, not at all. It's just that…" She was hesitant to say the words, but she had to know. "He must have really hurt you, didn't he?"

Bella's eyes steeled in front of her daughter. "Your father would never hurt me."

Her words were absolute but Renesmee knew better. Slowly, she pressed her hand against her mother's heart, frozen a long time ago from her transformation from mortal to immortal.

Renesmee's eyes glistened with the tears her mother could never again shed. "I meant there."

With a weak smile, Bella covered her daughter's hand with her own and squeezed it softly. "It was a long time ago." Her eyes darted away for just a second before settling back on Renesmee. "I loved him… very much. But when he left, it was really hard. Harder than I could have ever imagined. I guess you can say, in a way, he broke me."

Renesmee's eyes narrowed. "I already don't like him."

Bella chuckled. "Sweetie, you haven't even met him. You'll likely change your mind."

Renesmee stubbornly refused to concede defeat so early, but she didn't want to argue with her mother and instead, went towards an entirely different topic of discussion hoping to keep her mom from the hurt a little while longer.

"What exactly does my father have to do with me and Jacob traveling to Europe?"

Bella pinched the bridge of her nose as if to quell an impending headache.

"Because of what he told me about the Volturi."

Renesmee looked at her blankly. "The who?" She knew of a town called Volterra in Montepulciano, Italy but that was all.

"The Volturi. They're practically royalty within our species. Edward and your grandfather Carlisle told me once that they were a coven of very old and powerful vampires. They enforce the law."

Renesmee couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Vampires have laws?"

"Yeah," Bella replied, massaging her temples with her two forefingers. "Crazy huh. We're essentially selfish and murderous creatures yet the Volturi are our judge, jury and executioner if we disobey their rules."

"What rule would that be?"

"Isn't it obvious? The only one that's really important. Our existence. The Volturi values secrecy most. They don't want the human world to know we exist. It doesn't help that technology continues to evolve. Their ignorance essentially keeps us in bliss."

"I should've realized that."

"Well, it's not something we think about often. We're kind of in our own little bubble out here."

"So you don't want the Volturi to know who I am?"

Bella nodded. "Nicholas explained to me a little of what he knows about the coven, and you know he's older than all of us put together. Aro, one of the three leaders, is a very curious vampire. He's a collector of sorts, and even thinks of himself as a scientist. I'm afraid they'll take you away. Or worse, kill you."

"But it's been so many years, why would he want anything to do with me now?"

"Because many of his guards are composed of gifted vampires," a voice explained behind them.

Bella and her daughter turned to find Nicholas leaning against the door unaware of his earlier presence. Years of practice amongst both vampires and humans have given him experience to stealthily appear in places randomly, catching everyone off guard. Although, that wasn't his ability, it was simply a learned trait he honed over the course of a thousand years.

Not bothered by the interruption, Renesmee asked, "But my gift is hardly that special."

Nicholas moved away from the door and walked closer, his arms crisscrossed in front of his chest.

"When you were born, we kept your existence a secret for something a little more specific."

Renesmee looked thoroughly confused now.

"We didn't want any vampire out there to think you were an immortal child," he elaborated.

"But I am an immortal child. Well, at least I was. Now I'm just an immortal adult."

Bella chuckled and allowed Nicholas to explain. "Immortal children are forbidden in our world. If even one vampire suspected and notified the Volturi, we'd all be dead. But you're different. You weren't made immortal as a child, you were born into it. But the Volturi aren't always known to ask questions first, and your mother and I didn't want to take the risk."

"So what is an _immortal child_ that has the Volturi afraid of them?"

"They're unpredictable. Violent and completely devoid of understanding circumstances. When they're changed so young, they are incapable of adapting or evolving in their environment. Always remaining in the state of development that they were changed. There's smiles are innocent but their intent are deadly. A single child alone could decimate an entire village, and no one would suspect a child responsible."

Unable to think of an appropriate word to describe what she just learned, Renesmee reacted with the simplest of words.

"Oh."

"We'd never let anything happen to you," he solemnly promised.

Renesmee stared into the burgundy eyes of the man that was the closest thing she had to a father.

"I know."

* * *

"Do you think I told her too much?" Bella asked him after Renesmee left to meet with Jacob for breakfast at a local diner a few blocks from where they lived. Worry continued to etch her features at the memory of her talk with her daughter.

Nicholas shook his head and smiled at her warmly. "She's a smart girl, and a brave one too. She'll be fine."

"I told her about Edward."

"I know."

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough." He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping."

Bella shrugged, unconcerned. "I should have told her about him before. I've been selfish to keep her to myself all these years. The Cullens believed that our kind are incapable of procreation, Edward at least deserved to see his child grow."

"I know," Nicholas responded understandably. "But at the same time, I'm glad you've given me the opportunity to be a father."

"I didn't give you the opportunity," Bella said with a smile, remembering their early years together with fondness. "Renesmee practically clung to you like it was second nature. No matter what she chooses to do with the information she has now, don't forget that she chose you unconditionally."

Nicholas nodded, his eyes filled with relief and love. Their relationship was a peculiar kind. Casual yet genuine. They were each other's confidants.

Friend… peer… lover…

Nicholas never asked for more than she could give. Her heart had been broken, but he helped her with unflinching kindness she didn't expect from a nomad. Despite the dark redness of his eyes, he fed on humans who were already dying, and never fed on women or children. In the last hundred years and a half, he fed mostly from blood banks, eliminating the need to hunt humans unless absolutely necessary.

Bella's memories drifted to the past. Twenty five years ago, while she lay dying in her father's arms after Renesmee's birth, Nicholas stumbled upon them entirely by chance in a abandoned cabin deep in the woods, his attention entranced by the half vampire half human infant that was guarded protectively by a massive werewolf.

It was not long after that he found the mother of the child nearing death, and a human Charlie begging him to change her, to let her live and ignoring the important fact that the stranger's dark ruby eyes betrayed his diet.

By the time the change was completed, Bella awoke to her new life only to find her father in agonizing pain. A man she didn't recognize kneeled before him, covering her father's body with bags of ice in hopes to alleviate the cacophony of burning pain she knew her father felt.

Unable to find her voice, the stranger spoke up softly.

"I'm sorry," he said, the smoothness of his voice was tinged with regret. "He wanted me to change him, so you wouldn't be alone."

Bella's mouth fell open, her eyes drifting between her father and this unfamiliar vampire. Almost instantly, the thirst to feed nearly overcame her senses and she forced herself to remain still, unmoving.

"You're more controlled than I expected," he observed quietly before standing, his height identical to someone she once knew. "We should get you something to eat."

The first thing she comprehended was his utter lack of fear near her. He didn't seem at all afraid of her or her newborn capabilities, whatever they were. He was calm and collected. She felt his innate confidence that never once stepped over the bounds of arrogance.

"I… I won't kill humans." The hunger had escalated, but she refused to cave. Stubborn in this life as much as the old. Her hand suddenly gripped her stomach in search of something only to find it hard and flat. Comprehension dawned. "Where's my child?" Her eyesight and hearing sharpened all around her. "Where's Jacob?"

The stranger held both his hands in the air; a sign that left little doubt he meant no harm.

"Your werewolf friend went to get some food. He's with your daughter right now. I thought it best she was away when you woke up."

"Daughter?" Bella swallowed the venom that pooled in her mouth. Her mind battling against the hunger she craved as she simultaneously took the information in. "She's a girl?"

"Yes," he replied, his features seemingly filled with a surprising amount of awe. Bella didn't know who this man was, but she felt she was not in any danger from him. At least for now.

Her hand braced her throat. "I'm thirsty."

"I'll take you into the forest. Your friend, the wolf, mentioned that you'd prefer to feed on animals. Is this true?"

Bella stared and saw no judgment in his eyes. She nodded.

"Very well. You're father will be safe here, we won't be long." Tentatively, he extended his hand towards her. "I won't harm you."

She hadn't believed his words at first, for almost a year she kept a careful distance from him, but it was the first meeting—that first impression that caused her to stop thinking and focus on the present.

He led her deep into the woods, her legs running faster than she ever deemed possible, and far more graceful than she ever expected of herself. It was after her first kill, unfortunately it was a deer, totally unsatisfying but it helped. After a few more, the first signs of her thirst abated, and she was finally capable to thinking straight to ask him a question.

"Who are you?"

"I've gone through many names," he said with a soft smile, his striking burgundy eyes didn't inspire the fear she expected from a human drinker. "But my birth name is Nikolai Adelon. Lately, it's been Nicholas Dumas."

A memory flickered into her thoughts. "Like the author? Alexander?"

His smile turned into a boyish grin. "I'm a fan of the classics."

She nodded.

"Are you still thirsty?" he asked.

"Um… do you know where I can find a mountain lion?"

He smirked. "Not in this area, but once you've adjusted to your lifestyle, I'll show you where you can find them. Will you permit me to accompany you?"

His politeness continued to catch her off guard. This vampire, Nicholas, saved her life and kept her family safe. She didn't know what his intentions were, and she largely felt it was best to keep him close in order to discover any dangerous motives beneath the surface, so in the end, she acquiesced, unaware that one day soon, she would come to think of him as family.

* * *

"I can't believe you're actually going through with this. You realize how ridiculous it is, right?"

Renesmee looked at her boyfriend with an amused expression as she continued unpacking in her one-bedroom dormitory that was housed in Appleton.

"It's not like I haven't gone to school before," she said with a half shrug.

Jacob groaned. "It's not about the school." He looked out into the window that overlooked the campus of Amherst College. Unlike his best friend Bella, Renesmee's human genes allowed her to mingle with society easily without fear of exposure from the sunlight.

"He's not worth it."

"Jacob, he's my father," she reminded him, her patience waning thin. "I can't form an opinion of him based on everyone else's. Mom even recommended it."

"Bella could never think straight when he's involved," he mumbled angrily.

Renesmee's eyes angered perceptively. "Be careful where you take this conversation, Jake. I let you slide bad mouthing my biological father, but this is my mother you're insulting. I won't stand for it."

Jacob looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. I thought I outgrew this animosity, but some things are a little harder to change than others."

Renesmee sighed. "That was years ago."

"He left her, Nessie. Alone, pregnant and completely defenseless. I didn't like him from the get go, but I hated him after what he did when he left."

"I'm not going to argue with you about his choices or justify what he did. I'm not here to create a bond with him; I want to see what he's like. That he's something more than just the man that broke my mother's heart." She settled the remaining clothes from her luggage into the middle drawer and closed it with a resounding thud. She closed the space between them and held onto Jacob, her arms encircling his waist. She looked into his eyes deeply. "Please support me on this."

"Just promise you'll be careful."

"I promise."

"Okay," he nodded, calmer now than he was when they first arrived. "Your _father_," referring to Nicholas "set me up with a pretty cool loft just outside of town." He hands her the spare keys. "Do you have your necklace?"

Renesmee pulled the silver chain from her neck that revealed Nicholas's ancestral pendant that he gave her just before they left New York.

"Keep it around your neck at all times, okay?" he instructed.

Renesmee rolled her eyes. "I know how it works, Jake. I was there when he explained it to me, not to mention that I have eidetic memory."

"I know I'm sorry, but remember, he's a mind reader. If you're away from it for even just a moment, he'll figure out who you are."

Renesmee fingered her pendant like it was her lucky charm. Nicholas was born during the times of the Roman Empire, making him literally over millennia old. The pendant held some sort of magical or special properties that prevented the wearer from mental intrusion (she made a mental note to question him further about it when this trip was over).

After that morning a few weeks ago when her mother told her about her father and the Volturi, and the decision she made afterwards, Nicholas came to see her and gave her the pendant. Explaining that it was her choice whether or not she wanted to reveal who she was to her father. It wouldn't have been fair for the choice to be taken away from her before she was ready.

She thanked him, knowing that her journey to learn more about her biological father must hurt him on a paternal level. Nicholas was truly the only father she has ever known, they were as close as she was to her grandfather and she hoped that wherever this path took her, their relationship would remain unscathed.

Edward Cullen may be responsible for giving her life, but it was Nicholas that was there that helped sustain it.

"What will you be doing while I'm off learning…" Her mind went blank. "What am I learning this semester anyway?"

"I think your mom mentioned something about music composition."

Renesmee let out a breath of relief. "Thank God. Something I actually have an interest in."

Jacob grinned. "It's a good thing your dad's a savant. He got your paperwork and admissions through with very little trouble, and with little notice. In the meantime, Seth and Leah will be staying with me at the loft."

"I don't need guard dogs to protect me from my own family," she remarked, more than a little annoyed.

Jacob frowned. "For the record, we're not dogs, we're wolves. And just because I'm supporting you on this doesn't mean I won't be cautious about it. They're coming here because they care about you. No one wants to see you get hurt, physically or emotionally."

"Fine," she conceded. "Just make sure you three keep your distance while I'm on campus. They're not idiots. When they smell your scent on me, this whole thing would be over before I even begin."

"We'll keep our distance until you come to us or call us to you, but they're staying."

"Fine."

"Fine."

* * *

Inside the Lewis-Sebring Commons in Amherst located in Valentine Hall, Emmett relaxed against his chair while he draped one arm around Rosalie. "So what's the 411 on the new students? Is there anyone here interesting?" He spoke excitingly in hopes to grab the interest of his brother.

Edward replied with an uninterested "Nothing unusual." Other than the incessant chatter of the student body, he could not even force himself to care. Instead, he focused on solely on his uneaten tray of food.

"Don't be like that, Edward," Alice chided. "You've got to at least give us something."

Rosalie scoffed at the notion. "Don't try to turn this into Bella Version 2.0. We've had enough of her to last us ten lifetimes."

Edward abruptly rose from his seat and stepped away from the table, disappearing into a set of double doors unable to be around his siblings any longer.

Alice glared at Rosalie. "You could've at least left Bella out of this."

"She's got a point, Rose." Emmett looked at his wife pleadingly. "It's been a long twenty five years, and Edward's becoming almost suicidal lately. We don't want to push the wrong buttons."

Rosalie refused to censor her words when her thoughts gave it all away regardless.

"He needs to move on. And after all these years, even Jasper can't be near him too long. He needs to get his head out of his ass."

"I don't entirely disagree honey, but this is Edward. And this is the first time since Forks that he's actually attempting to go to school with us. So let's ease him into it, not bludgeon him into the ground."

Before Rosalie could snap back at her husband, something in the air caught the three vampire's attention.

"Did you smell that?" Emmett voiced aloud.

"It's absolutely divine," Alice chirped, looking around the dining hall for its origin. "Where is that scent coming from?"

Even Rosalie couldn't help but look. "I don't know, but it's no scent I've ever smelled before. It's like…"

Alice finished for her. "…Human?" She inhaled once more. "Yes, definitely human but there's something else, something very different."

As the scent grew stronger, the faces of Alice, Rosalie and Emmett turned and in their line of sight, their enhanced vision laid eyes on a pair of familiar brown eyes.

**To be continued in Part II**


	2. Part II of III

**Title: **Eternal – Part II

**Author:** Nadia Mack

**Disclaimer: **I Own Nothing

**Rating: **T

**Summary: **Renesmee enrolls in Amherst College in Massachusetts in hopes to discover more about her father. Meanwhile, Bella struggles to overcome the past she thought had been dealt with long ago. Bella/Edward and Renesmee story.

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to the few who reviewed. I don't know if majority of the readers like this story or not and even though you don't review, I appreciate you taking the time to check it out anyway. I'll try to post the last part as quickly as possible but I hope this update will hold you over.

Jasper will make an appearance as well as the rest of the Cullens. Jasper is not attending College this time around.

~*~

Alice fixated on the girl who stood in the middle of the room. She was a young woman, maybe twenty years of age or so, and she who looked awfully familiar. She was tall, like Rosalie and stood comfortable around her surroundings. It was her bronze-colored hair that grabbed her attention most, it bore a striking resemblance to her brother (which she quickly considered was just coincidence) but those eyes…

"Rose?" Alice whispered, looking a little stupefied.

"Yes"

"Is it just me or am I just seeing things?" Her eyes remained open and unblinking.

"No"

"I see her too," Emmett added for unity's sake.

"Good," Alice said as she continued staring dumbly, her head tilting to the side as if adjusting the angle would give her the answers she sought. "Because for a moment there I thought I was going crazy." She concentrated even further on the girl in question and to shocking her surprise, she could not see her future. "I'm not getting any glimpses out of her."

"Huh?" Emmett shoved his tray away and leaned forward on his forearms facing his sister. "Nothing?"

"No," Alice replied, concerned. "It's kind of giving me a headache." She closed her eyes and cleared her thoughts, shaking away the anomaly. "It's like… static. I can't make anything out."

"I'm calling Jasper." Rosalie immediately flipped out her phone and speed dialed Alice's husband.

"What about Edward?"

"He's a lost cause. It'd be just our luck if he couldn't read her," Rosalie sneered sarcastically.

"Wait a second, Rose." Emmett only looked away for a second and when he looked up again, "She's gone."

Before Jasper could even answer the phone on the other line, Rosalie snapped her cell shut. "Great," spoke dryly. "A mystery. The very last thing we need right now."

~*~

Renesmee exited the Common's as quickly as the situation allowed. Mentally, she had been prepared for this. She thought she had all her bases covered when the time arrived but she never expected to see them quite so soon. They all looked exactly how her mother described them. Imagining what they looked like was far more different than seeing it for real.

As soon as she realized that three of the Cullens were seated inside Lewis-Sebring, staring directly at her no less, it didn't take long for her hearing to pick on their conversation.

She knew, based on her mother's description that she inherited certain features of her father, and that she herself, inherited her mother's eyes. Her grandfather often remarked how incredibly similar they were. Nevertheless, it surprised her that the Cullens seemed to find the connection, even if they hadn't completely figured it out yet.

They knew she was different.

That knowledge frightened her on an emotional level she wasn't prepared for.

Renesmee groaned, walking quickly away from the building across the grass filled courtyard that in her haste to disappear; her distracting thoughts caused her to bump into a fellow person by accident.

"Oops!" She fell back on the ground with a clumsy thud, her possessions scattering all over the well-manicured grass. The fact that she was the one who fell and not the other person didn't register with her immediately. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention." She reached out to grab her things when her hand collided against another… She gulped suddenly at the sight of pale white skin and the cold touch that likely corresponded with it. Her body visibly stiffened in alert.

Slowly, Renesmee raised her head and found she was staring wide-eyed at a pair of golden eyes with that familiar color of bronzed hair on his head that will forever show their relation.

Reflexively, she gasped.

For lack of anything constructive to say. "Hi," she muttered nervously, her course on this journey finally starting.

~*~

Edward could not stop staring at the girl that unceremoniously bumped into him. He hadn't noticed anything different at first when she walked against him, initially annoyed by the disruption; he became mildly surprised she didn't break a bone when they collided. When he bent down to help her gather her belongings, her scent caught him by surprise.

It was sweet and smelled of freesias, and there was a familiarity about her he couldn't pinpoint. When he looked at her eyes closely, the familiarity was so acute that it felt like he was transported back in time to happier days.

The simple fact that this girl brought on such memories startled him out of his frozen existence.

Of course it wasn't possible, but for the first time in over two decades, he had felt something other than emptiness and despair.

"Hello," Edward said after a moment, his eyes diverting away from the human. Instead, he focused his attention at the cheap notebook in his grasp and found himself surprised to find that the few sheets sticking out were littered with musical notes. "You're a music major?" he asked suddenly out of the blue, and wondered a moment afterwards where the compulsion to start a conversation came from.

"Uh…" She quickly snatched her notebook from him quickly. "Yeah."

From the snippets his eyes caught, "It's lovely." In his memory, he went over some of her notes and found the sounds that would accompany it to be… soothing.

"Thanks," she said shyly. "Umm… bye."

Edward stared at the retreating form of the human girl curiously, and it was then that he realized a little too late that…

Not once did he hear her mind.

Briefly, he contemplated following her but the feeling went away quickly and he was soon filled with melancholy at the memory of the love he lost. He didn't want to know who this girl was just because he couldn't read her mind. The resemblance to his past was too much for him to handle. As he was just about to turn away and forget about this odd meeting, his attention was caught by something on the ground.

Edward picked up the bracelet and inspected it closely. It was a white gold laminate with a diamond swan-like charm embedded at its center. He turned it over to find a unique name he's never heard before inscribed on it.

Renesmee.

~*~

Back in New York City, Bella stood staring at the city behind the custom tinted ceiling high windows of her penthouse apartment.

Nicholas watched her from the nearby glass table, sipping his wine glass filled with AB neg. All vampires preferred their blood warm, which was largely why their kind killed humans, but Nicholas is a bit of oddity, finding that there was a certain level of charm being able to drink his in a glass. It made him feel almost normal.

"She'll be fine, you know."

Bella turned, giving him one of her pointed looks. "Doesn't stop me from worrying." She stepped away from the view and paced the floor anxiously. "I shouldn't have let her go alone."

"She's not alone. Jacob's with her as well as Seth and his sister. She's in good hands."

"You're annoyingly blasé about all this."

"You worry enough for the both of us."

Bella rolled her eyes. "How did you find them anyway?" She asked in regards to the Cullens.

"Wasn't all that hard," he said truthfully. "You live through enough centuries, you're bound to learn a few tricks here and there. Besides, you once mentioned that the patriarch tends to use his name of birth as often as he is capable. It made it easier to find them."

Bella nodded. It was easy to forget how old Nicholas was. Experience, wisdom, along with a copious amount of humility and compassion, it was hard to believe he was born and bred during the rule of the Caesars. She supposed for a man like him a few hundred years of debauchery, death and greed looses its appeal.

"I should've told her sooner. Better yet, I should have gone with her."

"You were angry and grieving. Renesmee doesn't blame you for it."

"She's far too forgiving for her own good."

"Reminds me of someone I know," he said, raising his glass to her.

This time, she kept from rolling her eyes.

Nicholas assured her again that Renesmee would make the right choice for herself.

"What if they hurt her?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "Do you believe that they will?"

"Not physically, but Edward has a tendency of being insufferably arrogant." She remembered with distaste. "His unilateral decisions nonnegotiable."

Nicholas cleared his throat, in a not-so-subtle attempt not to smile. "Maybe Renesmee is not the sole reason you want to be there."

Bella looked taken aback. "What?"

"Maybe," he said threading carefully. "You want closure."

"Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed, a single hand waving the notion away in the air.

"Edward left you and never made contact. It took some time but you were able to move on with your life. But now that you know where he is, I think a part of you wants the closure that the opportunity presents."

She did not at all like where this conversation was going but she humored him. "Closure?"

"We're immortals, my love," he reminded her with an amused grin. "You wouldn't want unresolved issues to fester for eternity."

"Now you're just being dramatic."

Nicholas chuckled. "Doesn't make it any less true." He stood from the table and walked towards a large bookshelf that held hundreds of books. He pulled out his favorite and sat back down at the table.

Bella shook her head, smiling. "Don't you get tired of reading _The Count of Monte Cristo_?"

Nicholas pretended to be insulted. "I don't bother you about your strange obsession over Wuthering Heights, so leave me and the Count alone."

~*~

With a lot of effort, Edward attended his evening class with very little enthusiasm. He didn't bother to go home the previous evening and opted to spend the rest of the night and following day deep in the woods alone.

He didn't need to but it had kept him busy.

After his sojourn in the wilderness of Western Massachusetts, he briefly stopped by the house and changed clothes ignoring his sibling's odd behavior for the few minutes he was there. The music emitting out of his earphones helped a little to keep the thoughts of his family out of his head.

Arriving on campus, he headed for his music history class, preparing himself for the boredom he knew was waiting for him.

He sat at the back row, barely listening to the professor droning on about the history of classical music when the strange girl he ran into the night before walked in, half an hour late into class.

To his surprise, she smiled at the teacher and handed him a note that he read briefly. He returned her smile and let her take a seat in the class.

Intrigued and against his better judgment, he concentrated on hearing her thoughts but it remained silent. When he tried harder, he felt an odd sensation go through his mind. It was like a mental equivalent to running into a brick wall. Before he knew it, she was sitting right beside him.

"Hi," she whispered, sounding just as shy and nervous as before. "Do you mind?"

Other than two consecutive blinks, he didn't react and his unresponsive silence on the subject of the seating arrangement did not deter her. She remained seated next to him anyway.

A few seconds pass an she introduced herself. "I'm Renesmee, by the way."

"I know."

Her eyes widened, her deep brown eyes taking center stage. "You… do?"

Edward forced himself not to rudely stare and reached into his inside jacket pocket to retrieve her bracelet. He handed to her, careful not to make contact with her hand. "I believe this belongs to you?" He took the chance to just look at her briefly.

Her eyes lit up for the first time. "Oh My God, thank you," she said gratefully, her voice remaining quiet enough that nobody up front in the class was bothered by it.

When she took it, his attempt at avoiding contact failed. Their fingers grazed one another and he quickly realized her body temperature seemed off. Two to maybe three degrees higher than normal for a human.

Maybe she was coming on with a fever?

"I thought I lost it," she said, securing the bracelet around her wrist.

She looked healthy enough so he ignored her body temp for now and refocused on the bracelet on her wrist. Edward didn't know why he held onto it and he strangely felt the need to explain.

"I wasn't sure where you'd be so I kept it with me just in case we ran into each other again today. I was going to drop it off at Lost & Found afterwards." He paused uncomfortably. "You're welcome, by the way." It's been a long time since he spoke in a sentence that was comprised by more than a few words. He felt out of practice. "My name is Edward."

She nodded with a tight-lipped smile. Even though he couldn't read her mind, he had the distinct feeling that she may have known who he was already but that wasn't possible. He barely showed up to class and he was certain he's never seen this girl before.

They remained relatively silent for the rest of the lecture, a welcome departure from the immature thoughts of their classmates. In his peripheral vision, he would catch her sneaking glances at him. What interested him the most was that it wasn't at all the normal observation he had of a love-struck human. She gave away no signs of romantic or sexual interest.

Just interest.

He was immensely relieved yet more than a little curious.

As soon as the class ended, she got up and muttered a quiet goodbye along with a "It was nice to meet you, Edward."

He smiled genuinely at the girl, completely unaware of how important she was to him.

~*~

Alone in her room, Bella rummaged through her closet. At the sight of her intended target, she retrieved the worn box from the top shelf and brought it back with her to bed.

Sitting Indian style atop of a king-sized mattress she never slept on, because obviously, vampires don't sleep. She stared at the seemingly innocent box with intent, a mental ware waging in her head. It took over an hour until she felt strong enough to remove the lid.

Once open, she was surprised to find herself smiling fondly at the mementos of her previous life rather than the grief that normally accompanied them before.

Slowly and with care, she held the photo of her and Edward, the blurry memories of their time together in Forks coming to focus. She had been devastated when he left, crippled by the words he used to break up with her. She loved him completely, almost against her will, and to this day, a large part of her still did.

She should be horrified that her feelings for him remained stubbornly constant.

Charlie's head popped in. "Whatcha doing Bells?"

She didn't look up. "Hey dad. Just taking a step back in time, that's all."

Charlie dropped his gaze from his daughter and saw what she was looking at. His eyes widened in surprise.

"I'll leave you alone then."

"No, it's okay," she assured. "Come in."

Charlie cautiously walked into her sanctuary. He spotted a pair of familiar tickets, which he immediately took from the box.

"What a waste!" He waved at her the two pre-paid plane tickets meant for his daughter to visit her mother when she still lived in Florida. "If only we've found this box sooner."

Bella smiled at her father, remembering one of the few times she visited Forks shortly after her change. Billy Black had closed up their home after boxing their belongings, preparing later to sell. Eventually, Nicholas had bought the property and kept it in good condition even when it remained unoccupied. It wasn't long that after years of disuse, she insisted to put the property up for rent. The extra money was not needed but it was nice knowing that their home didn't end up as a sentimental collector's item for a vampire.

She and her father had no other living relatives to hand it down to and Nicholas was adamant to keep it. He explained that there are some things our kind shouldn't let go of.

During one visit before it was put to rend for the first time, she inadvertently found the loose floorboard near her old bed (which was now just a double mattress resting on a frame) that held the box that contained the physical memories that Edward and his family truly existed in her life.

His promise the he would be gone, as if he never existed, fell apart the moment she found it. It took a long time for her anger to clear and her feelings of grief to subside to finally understand why he left her so abruptly.

Callously.

"He really did love me," she spoke aloud to no one in particular.

"A little too much, I think," Charlie agreed.

The anger she thought was long gone flared instantaneously. "That asshole!"

Charlie simply stared at his daughter with a dumbstruck expression before bursting into laughter.

"It's not funny, dad."

"Sorry." He cleared his throat. "Of course it's not." He didn't look the least bit apologetic.

"God, I thought I was over this already."

"Bells, you were never over it. You simply adapted. And you've done good for yourself."

"Nicholas thinks I need closure."

"Doesn't seem like a bad idea."

Bella sighed. "I think I miss our silent conversations."

Charlie smiled. "Speaking of Nicholas, he's okay with all this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" Charlie stood uncomfortably. "You two are… uh… close."

She had a hard time keeping a straight face watching Charlie trying pathetically to have an adult conversation with her in regards to the more intimate aspects of the opposite sex. Some things didn't change so she spared him any further embarrassment.

"Our relationship isn't like that."

Charlie frowned. "I don't think I like that explanation. It's filled with too many variables."

Bella grinned. "Dad, we haven't had _that_ kind of a relationship for a few years now. Nicholas is in no fear of a broken heart." She leaned against her headboard, deeply in thought of another matter. "At least not from me."

"I don't think I understand you."

"Renesmee," she said. "Nicholas and I haven't really spoken about what this would mean to him if Renesmee chooses to openly acknowledge that Edward is her father."

Charlie finally understood. "Oh."

"If I hadn't kept this from her all these years, Nicholas wouldn't have grown so attached to her."

"You don't know that," he argued softly. "Nicholas knew what he was getting himself into when he stayed with our family. He was under no obligation to do it but he did. He could've left as soon as our change was complete, but he didn't. He knows what he's doing, Bells."

"Okay," she said, her head bowed down in defeat.

~*~

"Jasper, thank you for coming."

"It was no trouble, Edward."

Jasper looked at his brother closely and sensed the uncertainty in his emotions. He had been surprised that Edward had called him to meet him on campus. He hadn't explained his reasons but it didn't matter. Jasper felt happy enough that his brother called him for something that sounded very important.

"What's troubling you?"

"There's this girl…" he began. Jasper nodded, his face impassive and made no judgment. "I don't know what it is, but there's something definitely different about her. I was hoping maybe you can get a read off her."

"What about her thoughts?"

"I can't read her thoughts."

Jasper blinked. "Pardon?"

"I… can't… but it's different this time," Edward explained, making sure to avoid speaking a certain name aloud. "We have a class together, and when I tried, I felt… a barrier of some kind. It didn't feel natural."

"As if she's keeping you out?" Jasper guessed.

Edward nodded. "Something like that."

"Tell me where she is."

"She crossing the courtyard right now."

Jasper turned and searched the grounds. Students in a whirlwind of activity passing by. It took only a few seconds to spot her. The remarkable shade of her hair and her interesting scent made it easy to find her.

"You've been following her?"

"Only today. The weather this afternoon made the decision easier for me to make." It was still daytime but the clouds were heavy enough that it was safe to venture into the population. They all took evening courses to avoid dealing with sunlight and the obvious questions that surfaced if they didn't show up to class.

"Alice mentioned that they saw a young girl with the same description a few days ago," Jasper revealed.

Edward looked surprised and was immediately apologetic. "I'm sorry. I haven't spoken to them all week." He avoided spending time with his family for selfish reasons. He didn't want his self-inflicted suffering to affect his family any more than it has to. "What did they discover?"

Jasper wasn't offended and offered him what they said. "Only that her scent was different like all the rest, and that she couldn't get read off of her."

"How's that possible?"

"I don't know," Jasper answered honestly. "Do you want to say hello?"

"I don't think we have to. She's headed toward us.

~*~

Renesmee was nervous.

Very nervous.

Unlike her mother, she was naturally outgoing and made friends easily. But this was hard. By some miracle, she managed to sit next to her father without incident. She knew that her biological makeup was different so she wouldn't be surprised if he noticed a lot of the little quirks she had.

Her body temperature was higher than normal, and then there was her scent... What would normally tempt a vampire into bloodlust doesn't exist for her. According to Jacob, she smelled great but he couldn't say the same for her family.

Renesmee was fairly sure the same line of thought is going through their minds right now.

Hesitently, she let out a small wave. "Hi, again."

Edward nodded before gesturing to his friend. "Renesmee, this is my brother Jasper."

Jasper bowed his head down slightly. "How do you do?" He greeted her politely.

"Well. Thank you."

She observed her uncle silently for a moment, making sure she wasn't overt in her staring. She had never seen so many scars before. Each likely told a tale of its own. She felt a wave of sympathy for this quiet man. It was hard to imagine that it aws his actions that precipitated the course of the last twenty six years.

~*~

Jasper was shocked at the senses he felt coming out of this strange human girl. His mental reaction caused Edward to eye him speculatively.

_I feel sympathy from her. Loss and a lot of regret. I don't understand where it's coming from, but I don't think she's a threat._

"I got to go," she said, looking between he and Edward before resettling back to him. "It was nice meeting you Jasper. Bye."

Jasper watched his brother hesitate as Renesmee walked away.

_I know there's something odd about her, so you should check it out._

"Are you sure?"

"I'll let the others know what I found out. Go."

After a good distance, Renesmee turned a corner when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Abruptly, she spun around.

"It's okay." Edward held his hands up. "It's just me. I'm sorry if I frightened you."

"You followed me?"

"I thought you'd like some company," he explained. "You're new on campus, right?"

"Uh... yeah." She fiddled with the straps of her backpack nervously. "I can walk by myself though."

"I don't mind."

"Suit yourself."

Edward smiled and Renesmee could tell he put a lot of effort into it. As they walked, they spoke of inconsequential things. Schoolwork. Weather. Sports. He spoke of nothing personal and neither did she. That was fine by her. She didn't think she was ready to go full disclosure, but at this point, she felt she may never be.

Without warning, a rollerblader fell near them scraping their knee in the process. The smell of blood trickled from their wound and her senses went on wild alert. Without thinking, she spun around, facing Edward, her eyes turning from Brown to black with startling clarity. She shut her eyes, controlling herself and opened them to reveal her eyes back to their natural brown.

Edward stared transfixed as it happened, and she felt him trying to intrude into her mind. The pendant she wore protected her but the evidence alone had put her father on guard.

He eyed her with suspicion.

"Who are you?"

~*~

"She's not a threat. At least I don't believe she is."

"You think she knows something?" Rosalie asked.

"No." Jasper shook his head. "I don't detect any fear but she's definitely nervous about something." He continued to eye her speculatively. "She's familiar but I'm certain we've never met her before."

"What do you think she wants from us?" Alice asked, the lack of visions accompanying the human girl made her feel handicapped.

"I think…" Jasper's started. "I think she's excited to meet us."

"Excited?" Rosalie spoke up in disbelief.

"Really?" Alice jumped with renewed vigor, her thoughts and feelings zigzagging between points quickly. "So she's definitely friendly."

Jasper held fast on his wife by grabbing a hold of her arm and warned, "Not so fast, Alice. We know nothing about her." He led his family to an empty classroom to speak more privately. "That's not all. Edward can't read her mind."

In an almost comical manner, all three stared at the empath and then expressing three very different reactions.

"No shit!" Emmett guffawed.

Rosalie rolled her eyes disgustingly. "For Christ's Sake."

"What are the odds?" Alice said rhetorically.

~*~

"I hacked the server in the admission's office," Emmett offered. "Looked through her electronic files. Everything seems clean. Straight-A student. Standout athlete. She's a sophomore, transferred in from NYU. Renesmee S. Gray."

"What do you mean by '_seems_ clean'?"

"Well… her transfer to Amherst is a bit suspect. She wasn't listed during the initial or late registration process, and since I was taking care of our registrations for school this time around, transfers for this semester should have been closed. Less than two weeks ago, Miss Gray's name was suddenly on it. Administration wouldn't have noticed it, but vampires have perfect memory, and I'm telling you that my spidey senses are tingling."

"Which means that her paperwork was likely forged or she has connections that allowed her admissions into to school at such short notice," Jasper stated, understanding where Emmett was going with this. "It makes sense. We've done it dozens of times."

Alice stared at her husband. "But why would she?"

"I wish I knew."

"But we know she's definitely hiding something."

The family agreed.

"Perhaps I can enlighten you," a soft voice spoke from behind them.

The Cullens abruptly turned and was surprised to find Edward next to Renesmee in their living room. Edward looked uncomfortably under the intense scrutiny of his family.

"She wanted to come here. She knew what we are." Rosalie shot him an unbelievable glare. He glared right back at her. "I never said anything."

"He's right," Renesmee said, hoping a fight would not break out. "I know about Vampires. I've known about it since I was a child. I swear, I'm not here to cause any trouble, but after what happened earlier, I thought it was about time you know why I'm here," she explained knowing that telling them who she was too soon, but she didn't want to dig a bigger whole for herself and she knew they would start researching her, if they haven't already.

Her words surprised her father and he looked at her with narrowed eyes. "You're not here by accident?"

Renesmee nodded guiltily but there was no going back now. She stepped away from him and the rest of the family and made her way to the familiar instrument that always helped calm her. Slowly and without permission she sat down on the bench of the beautiful baby grand piano and began to play the notes of the piece that was currently untitled while ignoring the stares of the entire Cullen family bearing down on her.

Edward was the first to speak. "Who are you, Renesmee?" There was a hard edge to his voice. He was concerned for his family. And that family did not include her.

Renesmee smiled sadly, her fingers pressing the keys like second nature. She answered his question, but was too afraid to face him when she did.

"You know who I am," she whispered. "Deep down, you know." The Cullen's full attention was entirely all on her. The rapid beats of her heart did not disturb the flow of sounds that left her fingertips. Yet it was her emotions the fueled her playing at this moment.

"We don't know who you are," Edward said with certainty.

"Really?" Renesmee didn't stop playing, reluctantly meeting his steely gaze. "You don't see an image of yourself reflected on my own?"

There was an audible gasp around her, her words leaving them all nearly incapable of speaking.

Renesmee finally stopped playing and willed herself to face all of them. Her legs slipped away from beneath the keyboard and stood. She looked at each one of her unknowing family members in silent awe before landing on the one that mattered to her the most.

"My name is Renesmee Swan." Their eyes locked on one another. "I'm your daughter."

Everyone in the room quieted. Not even a murmur or a breath escapes their lips. They simply stood, like they were in some kind of shock. Beautiful lifelike statues amidst an emotional storm. Perhaps they were. It's not everyday that a Vampire learns that they had fathered a child. The mere possibility had been deemed impossible.

The silence was too much, so she told them. "I've only known about you and your family for a couple of months. I knew I had a father out there but mom never talked about him."

"Edward's your dad?" Emmett asked.

Renesmee nodded. "Biologically speaking."

Carlisle stepped forward and spoke what his scientific mind had difficulty processing. "That's… that's not possible. We can hear your heart beat. Smell the blood in your veins." He looked her over, continuously confused but at the same time astonished by the turn of events. "You're human."

Renesmee shrugged. "Half, actually. I'm a hybrid of both species. My father always said I was a miracle."

Edward reacted to the casual way in which Renesmee used the word _father_ and knew instinctively she hadn't been referring to him. If he could throw up, he would. The knowledge that another man had taken his place sent crushing pain throughout his body. It was Alice that broke the silence this time and asked the question he was not able to.

"So Bella's moved on?" Alice inquired weakly.

"That's one story that isn't my right to tell," Renesmee answered neutrally. "Look, I came to Amherst for _me_, not for my mom. I'm sorry for deceiving all of you, but I didn't want to walk away without at least telling you the truth."

Her last words struck a cord with him. "Wait," Edward finally found his voice. "You're leaving."

Renesmee looked to him with sad eyes. "I don't belong here."

"Don't say that," Esme spoke for the first time since the young woman revealed her identity. "Your our granddaughter." She clutched her chest and looked to her husband, eyes brimming with emotion. "We have a grandchild, Carlisle."

"She's right," Carlisle agreed sincerely. "You're welcome here for as long as you want to stay. Our doors are open to you always."

"Thank you, but…" Renesmee hesitated but continued nonetheless. "I have a family. I even have a job."

"Where?" Alice asked curiously.

"New York," she answered quickly. "That's where we've been living for the past three years. We're fairly sure I've stopped aging fifteen years ago." The Cullens stared at her confusingly so she elaborated. "I am half vampire, so when I was born I aged unnaturally fast for the first couple of years. It's slowed down afterwards but ended roughly when I started to look like I was in my early twenties."

"Please stay," Edward said practically pleaded and Renesmee's heart broke. "There's so much… so much I don't know. So much I don't understand."

Renesmee let out a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She removed the pendant she wore around her neck, placed it inside her back pocket and slowly moved towards her father.

He didn't move. He didn't so much as flinch. And when she reached out and tentatively palmed his cheek with her hand, she showed him everything.

In the blink of an eye, Edward was bombarded with a series of sounds and images. Renesmee made sure to start from the beginning: The earliest memories of her birth, her development from toddler to child, the precious moments when her mother sang to her in bed, her experiences in school. It was all there, the most important moments of her life.

When she was done, she didn't even notice her father's hand pressed against her own.

_Now you know._

Edward blinked against tears that could never fall. "I can hear your thoughts."

"The pendant I wore protected me from your ability. Once it's removed, my mind is as open to you as anyone else." In an attempt to alleviate the intense emotions surrounding them, she added with a smile, "Except my mom, of course."

"Renesmee…" Edward said her name softly. Reverently.

"I just wanted to know." Renesmee's eyes welled up with tears before putting her necklace back on. "I wanted to know that you weren't just the man that left my mom and broke her heart." She let him go and wiped away her tears. "Thank you for showing me that you're not."

"Please," Edward begged.

"I'm sorry." Renesmee looked away, unable to face any of them any longer. She pulled out her cell and dialed the person she needed most.

"Hello," Jacob answered on the other line.

"Hi, it's me." Wiping her tears with her hand, she breathed in deeply. "Let's go home."

~*~

"You idiot!" Rosalie spouted angrily at her brother as soon as Renesmee was gone. "How could you let her go so easily? She's your _fucking_ daughter, Edward!"

"Back off, Rose." Alice stood and defended him.

Edward stood silent and frozen in front of the open door of their home staring at the spot where Renesmee had stood not long ago.

"Why don't you back off?" Emmett was beside his wife, supporting her. "No one knew this was going to happen."

"Carlisle, there has be something we could do?" Esme asked, her motherly instincts kicking in.

A wave of calm enveloped the room but Rosalie was having none of it.

"Stop it, Jasper!"

"Enough!" Carlisle stood in the middle of his family as calmly as he could. "This has come as a shock for all of us, but arguing amongst each other isn't the solution." He turned to Edward, facing his back, his face full of compassion. "What do you want to do, son?

Edward, once again, was at a loss as to what to do. His mind swirled with amazing heart wrenching images. Something impossible happened today and he didn't know what to do or what to think. He had a daughter. He had daughter with Bella. A real child that they made together and he didn't really know her. He hardly knew what to say. He had not expected that bringing this girl to his home would bring about such earth shattering news.

Now she was gone.

Was this the same feeling Bella felt when he left her? When he turned his back on everything that they meant together?

This loss of what could've been made him feel sick.

He looked to his father for help. "I… I don't know. I don't know what to do anymore, Carlisle.

~*~

"Has she said anything to you?" Bella looked to Nicholas for answers but he shook his head. She turned to her father, and Charlie had equally nothing to relay.

Renesmee returned to New York the night before. Jacob was with her right now while Seth and Leah headed to their personal rooms to catch up with some much needed sleep after spending a week in Massachusetts, hyper aware that there were vampires in the vicinity.

When she arrived, Renesmee had been distant and Bella could do no less than give her privacy until she was ready to talk. But it didn't stop her from asking.

Admonishing herself. "I should have gone with her."

Both Nicholas and Charlie remained silent on the matter.

Since her change, being a newborn and being a mother at the same time, she had perfected the art of control. In the early days, her cravings for blood would come and go at different times (and with different levels of thirst) that she didn't know how long she could handle it, but in the end, it had been manageable. It helped that a lot of her focus was on her daughter, her father and this strange vampire who seemed unlikely to part with them any time soon.

It wasn't until she and Charlie hit the three month mark that he started to feel some level of control over his newborn thirst (not largely but the signs was there). Nicholas took them even farther into the woods, completely isolated from human contact, hikers or otherwise, when the quiet moments kicked in and history resurfaced. She thought about Edward and his family so much during those months and was made harder as Renesmee continued to grow up and began to inherently show signs that she was very much her father's daughter.

The internal war that waged inside her mind were grouped by two battle regiments. Her past life with the Cullens, and her new life with her daughter. The grief and depression over losing Edward had been stronger during the first year, and lessened bit by bit by the preceding years. She made sure never to talk about it, feeling as if once she did, she'd unravel, and the control she built would fall all around her, damaging those she held dear. But even though she held herself together, a piece of wall would crumble and slip out every once in a while, and that was when the start of her friendship with Nicholas began.

It was like her relationship with Jacob, but none of the false illusions harbored between two friends where one was hoping that something more would happen. Looking back on her human memories, her blinders finally came off and she saw with obvious clarity of Jacob's romantic leanings. He no longer felt that way. The subtle attachment that weirdly connected him to her disappeared the moment he held Renesmee after her birth. The imprint severed whatever romantic interest he had of her and she was grateful. She didn't return his feelings and hated the thought of hurting him.

Although, discovering that he imprinted on her daughter edged her frighteningly near violence and took a little time getting used to.

The most interesting discovery after becoming a vampire was strangely enough, her father. She was amazed that he singularly chose this life and held steadfast by her side after all these years never once showing signs of regret. Nicholas has remarked on more than one occasion that father and daughter seemed made for this eternal life. After his confusion and adjustment to vampire life, Charlie began to take advantage of the pros by not dwelling on the cons. Along with Nicholas and Jacob, Charlie's unwavering support helped to rebuild her shattered psyche.

Thinking about the past made her realize that her family was right.

She needed closure.

**End of Part II**

**Author's Notes:** So it looks like there will be a part three. What'd you think? I've actually started writing this story months ago and it wasn't until recently that I started to really put it all together. Part III is all about Edward and Bella. For the most part, anyway.


	3. Author's Notes

**Author's Notes**: Hey everyone, this is just a brief storyline slash information update. I'll be updating with Part III hopefully by this coming weekend, if not sooner. I've already written a lot so it shouldn't take me too long to post.

I wanted to give some back story on the Swans that I may or may not have the opportunity of elaborating once Part III is posted.

For anyone interested, Nicholas is a character of his own. In my head, he has an immense amount of history that would never be quite easily written on a story based on Bella and Edward's reunion. I doubt I could do it justice in Eternal. Also, I never described what he looked like in detail but I've been envisioning Henry Cavill in my head. Don't blame a girl for fantasizing. :)

Like I've mentioned in Part I, Nicholas was born during the age of the Caesars. A Centurion soldier in his human life before becoming a vampire. He's as old as the Volturi but not as tyrannical nor does he have any grand illusions. Though he may come off as a simply man, he really is anything but that.

Don't get me wrong, he is a vampire and he's lived through quite a lot of centuries, so he's very much capable of immense violence but he is one that does not take advantage of it. Since Vampires and Werewolves exist in Meyer's story, it would only be natural that magic itself existed too. This is a another subject entirely if anybody is wondering about the necklace he gave Renesmee.

Speaking of Renesmee, in my story she aged slower and roughly stopped aging in her early twenties. If I were to give a number, I'd say she was between 21-23 years of age. She skipped high school but did graduate college.

Jacob looks in his mid-twenties, and due to his constant presence around vampires and his imprint with Renesmee, his shape-shifting gene remains active, preventing him the choice to stop phasing to live a normal mortal existence. Point of fact, it doesn't bother him in the least.

Seth and Leah is a part of his pack. They left La Push to join Jacob and return to Forks every once in a while. For the most part, they're a part of the Swan family and generally live with them most of the time. It took a few years, but Seth and especially Leah are as devoted to the Swans just as much as Jacob is. It's a union that will no doubt shock the Cullens.

As for Edward, he's lived a very isolated life and has only just returned in an attempt to relieve his family's worries. Obviously, he's very much ignored humanity and keeps to himself. He has had no communication with Bella since she left so he has no idea what happened to her or how she went on with her life.

The rest of the Cullen's continued on the same way they've done so before they met Bella. They're not as happy but they continue.

I hope this small insight into the story helps. I'm actually kind of compelled to write a completely separate story focusing on Nicholas when he first stumbles upon Bella and Charlie but that's a bit ambitious. I imagine a lot of research happening if I pursue that storyline. lol

Here's a little snippet of the next part. I won't be divulging Bella and Edward's reunion though. My bad. :D

* * *

_After returning from a hunt, Bella headed towards Nicholas's office, hoping that her daughter went to him for the reassurance she craved after the week she had since coming home from meeting the Cullens._

She didn't bother announcing her presence. "How was your talk with Renesmee?"

Nicholas looked up from his desk, his eyes lighting. The obvious weight that had been on his shoulders gone. "I think it went well." He returned his attention back to a police file that Charlie had probably handed to him recently.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing in regards to us." He raised the file and showed it to her. "Cold case. A dozen years old. Charlie thinks it'll be reopened due to a homicide he's investigating."

Bella nodded mutely. Nicholas has become Charlie's go-to person ever since he returned to the force when they moved to New York. It was understandable considering that Nicholas has had experience in that kind of harsh life over his two thousand plus years of existence.

He had also been a Centurion in his human life, which was always endlessly fascinating to her.

"Have you thought about what you were going to do about Edward" He asked all of the sudden.

"I haven't quite thought that far yet."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. It'll be nice to see you happier for a change."

"What makes you think confronting him would make things right?"

"I know you," he replied simply. "You prefer to make everyone else around you happy and content, putting your own happiness in the back burner. It's a habit I've tried to break with very little success."

She growled. "Not funny."

"I think it's a little funny."


End file.
